Scuba Bro's

Jeromy, Terrence, and Carry Stricker and his wife (Carry is a co-worker) decided to go diving at Strawberry Resevior.  They saw a ton of crawdads and only two dead fish.  They had a ton of fun!

The water temp was 60 degrees surface and 48 degrees at 30ft.

Jeromy and Terrence's next diving adventure is going to be September 25. 

Shea is now signed up for certification and they are talking Chris and Brent into doing it too.

I'm glad they had fun!

Where is Jaden?

Ok, what does this picture look like to you?

A messy closet maybe?  So who do you think created this mess?

A little sleeping boy.

Today as I was getting ready for my families birthday party for Brekyn the house seemed really peaceful and quiet.  Now sometimes my kids are actually playing quietly and sometimes when there's no noise they are getting into things.  It all depends on which boy it is.  I called for Jaden several times an dno answer and then I checked the house.  Still no sign of Jaden.  I knew he didn't go outside cuz he was supposed to be in time out on his bed.  So, since I was strained for time I took advantage and got all my stufff done in a hurry and then continued to look for him.  I had passed the closet several times and just thought that it was the kids making a mess and didn't think anything of it untill I had a thought of Jaden playing hide and seek.

Well, it wasn't that it was Jaden just picking a hiding spot and sleeping. 

What a cute little man I have.  Playing in Nursery can tire out a little boy.

Fun at the U-Pick

So on Friday I got this crazy idea that I wanted to be more like Martha Stuart and make my own spaghetti sauce so we headed to the Day farms U-pick to pick our own tomatoes, peppers, and what have ya for spaghetti sauce and salsa. 

It was way dusty and as you can see in the car picture the dust is piled on the car.  The boys had fun picking the vegi's and asking if what they picked was a "good one", then puting it in the box. 

One full to the top box was only $10 and half a box was $5.  It's so worth enduring the dust and picking your own.  Besides, it teaches the kids some great life skills.

I don't know if you can see in any of the pictures but the cloads were so dark and a major storm was coming our way.  We made it out just in time for it to wash our car from all that dust.  Thanks Mother Nature for the free car wash! 

Brekyn turned 1! Oh how fun!

What a precious bundle of joy you are

Cute from head to toe

You melt my heart with your sweetness

Everywhere you go

You're a very special gift

Descended from heaven above

The most perfect little angel

Sent for your family to love

My cute little baby boy turned 1 today!  I can't believe how fast he's grown. 

 I'm sad and excited to see him grow up.  He's been such a good baby with loads of personallity.

That toothy grin makes my heart melt and I can't wait to see what another year brings.

Happy Birthday Brekyn! 

We LOVE you with all our hearts!!!!

Justin's kindergarten story

So Justin started Kindergarten this year at Antelope Elementary.  His teacher Mrs Pound and the school weren't taking his peanut allergy serious and were confused at where to keep his medicine.  I felt really uneasy every time he went to school and at the end of every school day he would come home so awnry and demanding that He was constantly ending up on his bed for walking in the house and demanding where his food/lunch were.  That kind of attitude doesn't fly in my house so I finally got fed up after only 3 weeks of it and decided he needed to switch schools. 

After going to several schools and asking if I could transfer him (Davis county is now open enrolment) they all told me that they were full and the only way he would get in is if we moved in the boundary lines of that school.  So that gave me an idea to use my mom's address and transfer him to West Clinton Elementary.  When I got there I was filling out the papers and they wanted two proofs of residency.  TWO!  I understand but that made my situation to get him into a better school harder.  Luckily Jeromy and I still have my mom's address on our drivers licences and all we needed was a rental agreement or a notarized document saying that our family lives with my mom.  I know that would be dishonest but I didn't care at the moment I wanted my boy in another school and where he would be safe.  So, I was given two weeks before school started to get my documents together.  HE was put into Mrs. Phillips Pm kindergarten class and life was a little more hectic but I felt better that he would be safe and not wasted at Antelope. 

About five days before West Clinton elementary school was going to start I got a special call....

Angie McKee called my cell phone and announced that Justin had been picked on the Lottery to go to Oquirrh Mountain Charter School!!!!!! AHHHHHHH!, was my first reaction.  My second was thanking Angie over and over again followed by telling her this story about what I had done and was going to do.  She told us that she was put in the office this week to work and they were pulling names for kids to go to school there, yeah you heard me, pulling names.  No lottery system just the secretary pulling names.  Anyway, back to my story.  Angie asked if they were pulling names and the secretary asked who she would like to get in.  Angie said pick Justin Jackson.  Can I interrupt again and just say that as I wrote that sentence I got so excited that he is in that school and I'm so grateful for Angie!

Ok back to the story again.

So, we headed to the Charter school signed him up and went school uniform shopping before he started school on Friday.

By the way his teacher is OCD about letting parents know how their child is doing in school and keeping them up to date on weekly announcements.  She is so great!!! 

So Justin started Friday and he was so excited to go!

This is what he wore and he can also wear blue or black slacks with a gray, white, or navy blue polo shirt for summer wear.  In the winter he can wear a turtle neck or long sleeved polo shirt.  His shoes have to be black or white and all the same color.  Either all black or all white.  Kind of hard to find but not to bad.

He had to be to school at 11:30 on Friday because of early out day so we didn't know how long it would take to get from Clearfield to Kaysville so we left at 11:00am.  We got to the school at 11:08.  Lets just say there is hardly any traffic and it's really not that far.  About the same distance as West Clinton Elementary but with no traffic and only two stop lights. 

They have their own kindergarten doors and when I pick him up after school they have certain doors for them to go out so they are safe and away from normal pick up traffic from the rest of the school.  Way to cool!

This is Justin after school. When he went to Antelope he came home awnry and starving.  I would always make him a lunch in his Buzz Lightyear lunch box for him to eat at home but he was so hungry that he would cry and demand his lunch.

His first day at Oquirrh Mountain I made his lunch and forgot to bring it with us and he was totally ok with waiting till we got home.  What???  He's ok with it!???  I have my boy back!!!!!!!

Of course when we got home he scarfed down his lunch and was completely happy the entire time. 

What a difference changing schools made.  I'm so grateful for Angie and for Heavenly Father giving us a miracle.  Thanks again Angie for thinking of us and for giving me my happy boy back. 

 I LOVE Oquirrh Mountain Charter School!!!!!

Happy 11th Anniversary!

Saturday was our 11th Anniversary and I can't believe we've been married that long!  Someone asked us how did we do it.  How did we do what I replied.  How have you been married for so long?  I was kinda shocked cuz 11 years really isn't that long but I guess in this day an age it is.  I had to think about it for a minute cuz we've been through so much and we've had our troubles and arguments but we've never really yelled or fought.  We truely accept each other for who we are, there is no changing that person to who we want them to be.  Jeromy still gets to be the man he's always been and I get to be a stay at home mom and raise our 4 handsome boys the best I can.  If there is something that we want to do we usually let each other do it if we have the money.  It hasn't been easy but at the end of the day it has always been worth it. 

I'm so blessed to have such a great husband that works so hard to provide for our family.

I love you my hunk of man!

So, after Jeromy got off work on Saturday we got to go on another double date with Chris and Dominique.  I just love her!  She has so much confidence in herself and is so fun to be with.  I was glad that Chris asked her to go.  Anyway, we went to Lonestar for dinner and then headed to the Toby Keith, Trace Attkins concert.  It was so fun and such a great concert. 

Chris and Dominique

Still in LOVE after 11 years!

Toby Keith

The concert was around a 4 hour concert and it went by so fast. It was a very fun night and I'm glad we got to go with Chris and Dominique. 

Thanks for a wonderful 11 years honey.  Love you!

Jeromy having fun

Jeromy thought it would be fun to see if he could fit in the Go Kart and ride around.  It was a pretty tight squeeze but amazingly he did it and had fun.  Silly Daddy!

Fun again at Uncle Vaughn's

I know I've said this before but... we have SO much fun at Uncle Vaughn's house.  We love taking the 4-wheelers over and racing around the pasture and arena.  What's even more fun is taking the kids home with some of Uncle Vaughn's arena dirt on them. Bath time for everyone!! I have tipical boys and they love getting nice and dirty when we go over there.  It doesn't help that when you do donuts all that dirt goes into the air.  Oh the fun we have!

Koda's (Razor) Go Kart is so nice to have two of the boys ride in it and then one of them can ride Justin's 4-wheeler.  It works out great! 

Thanks Uncle Vaughn for having us over again!

Koda's Prize

Last year we bought Koda a 4-wheeler like Justin's, just a tad bit smaller, but we could never get it to run right so we ended up selling it. Since Koda is completely potty trained and hasn't had an accident for a long time we figured this Go-Kart ( Razor in Koda's mind) would be his to drive and Jaden could sit in the passenger side.  Now each child that can drive has a bike and Jaden is covered too cuz he gets to ride. 

What's great about this Go-Kart is it has all the safety features Justin's 4-wheeler does so we have control of the motor and can start and stop it whenever we need to.  The headlights will work out great too if we are riding at dusk.

Oh, another thing it has is a horn.  Yep, that's Jaden's thing to do is honk the horn when a dog gets in the way.

This is what thier faces looked like when we told them that we had to eat dinner and then go to the store.  Tomorrow boys!

Justin can also legally drive this Go-Kart too!  Anyone 6 and older can drive it, well as long as you can fit in the seat.

WooHoo!  Looks like I fit so I can drive it too!  Just kidding!  It was a tight squeeze.

Thanks Jeromy for always thinking of the boys and thanks Koda for staying dry and being potty trained. 

What a great Poem

I learned alot from you, my firstborn
I learned to listen to my body
as you took possession of my
tastebuds
digestive system
as well as
my heart
and mind.
I learned to love
my round belly
and
rounder clothes.
Curiosity filled me
with wonderful delight
at the changes~
and daydreams
became common.
What would you look like?
Could I love anyone more
than I loved this little one
thriving
growing
in my tummy
and heart?
I learned to sew
baby shirts
baby socks
blue blankets
and maternity tops.
All before your arrival.
The lessons continued
on your Big Day...
breathing in and out
huffing
and
ta-ta-ta-ing
ha-ha-ha-ing
hee-hee-heeing
until those endless waves
released you into
my arms.
I was invincible!
the euphoria was
fantastic...
I could've lept out of the hospital
bed and run a marathon!
You made me a Mother.
I learned to sleep when baby sleeps
and that it's okay to cry
when baby cries.
sometimes.

I learned to use a camera
like a pro
catching every half-smile
and wide-eyed moment
you offered me.

I learned that squash
is hard to get out of
silk.
And that silk
is not practical for
Mommies.

I learned to get showered
and dressed
in 15 minutes
flat.
And makeup is over-rated
on somedays.
I learned the stretchmarks
don't go away.
But that's okay.
And nothing to cry over
more than once.
And cocoa butter is a joke.

I learned how to get out the door
right after a nap and feeding
or to just stay home
and be happy.

I learned to be patient:
For teething fevers
and drool.
Eating out is not worth
what it costs
in the beginning
but when you're a toddler
any place is good
if they serve
Macaroni and Cheese!

I learned to love
McDonald's Playland
and Happy Meals!

I learned that a balanced meal
can be chicken nuggets
and milk
with apple slices.
And it's totally worth $2.99.

I learned that as you grew
you had choices to make too.
And once I voiced my opinion
I had to give you space
to make those choices.
And I learned that that
is Hard.

I learned to listen
to what you could teach me.
And it was more than I
could've ever learned on my own.
I came to love
"Where the Red Fern Grows"
because you love it.
I cried when you cried
at "Old Yeller".
And laughed when you laughed
at
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
He-Man
Weird Al Yankovic
Jeff Foxworthy.
I hurt when you hurt--
when you broke your arm.
Oh, I physically hurt for you
when you fell and busted your lip
at school--
so much so that
I fainted at the Doctor's office.
I held my breath
when you started dating.
I learned to smile
instead of cringing
at the parade of characters
you led thru my kitchen.
We went through alot to get here, hunh?
We both had so much to learn.
Tears and patience
can equal
forgiveness and happiness
all around.
Thank you for loving me
despite my flaws
and flubs
and selfish days of youth.
Thank you for being patient
while I grew up
and learned how to be
the mother I always
wanted to be.
I found myself
because of You.

 
 
I read this poem and thought of what being a mom has taught me and what it will teach me when my boys grow older.  There is nothing I wouldn't do for my boys or go through for them. Even though they drive me nuts some days I look back and think of when my arms were empty and I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father made my arms and even my heart full.  My life will never be slow again just even for a bit but that's ok cuz my boys are my life and I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

Random Pics

So we had to go to SLC to hand some papers in for Jeromy's application process to... well... it's a SECRET!  Get it!  HaHa.  Anyway!  The boys and I had to drive around for a bit till he was done so I decided to drive up through the neighborhood by the state capitol building.  When we turned down this street we saw this... the state capitol building.  The boys gasped at the sight and said, oh mom!  Look, look at that!  It was really pretty and I wanted to drive down closer but Jeromy called and said he was done and ready to be picked up so we had to leave.

I know you shouldn't drive while taking pictures but this is what we saw when we came down the hill from the capitol building.  Justin gasped again and thought it was so pretty.  What a great opprotunity to take advantage of that moment and have a, "When you get married in the temple someday", lesson.

I thought these clouds were so dang cool and amazing.  Just makes me think that Heavenly Father is everywhere in our lives. 

So dang cool!

The Lowe boys

Let me tell you about the Lowe family and thier 4 almost 5 boys... What a great family! I never would've thought that I would find another family that was so close to mine but here they are.  Tyler (husband) is a K-9 police officer (Just like Jeromy), Merideth (Wife) stays at home with her boys(Just like I do), Zach (5), Wes(3), Ben(2), and Max(1), and they are expecting another boy the day before Dakota's birthday. My boys and her boys are the same age and play so well together that it makes having play dates so fun and easy.  They all LOVE playing Transformers and jumping on the trampoline.  It's been great to have so much in common with another family.  Oh the joys of having boys!

Provo River Falls

This year the river was so stinkin cold that we didn't stay too long to let the kids play in the water.  They still got in but only to run as fast as they could through it to get a thrill.  Terrence and Chris made it across the river to take pictures like everyone did last year except Chris took it one step further and decided it would be fun to sit in the falls and get all wet.  Silly Uncle Chris... it's COLD!

Our Jackson family camping trip was a blast this year and it was nice to visit with Kent and Jolene's side of the family as well.  Everyone is so busy with life that this trip was a nice get together that I'm sure is going to happen for years to come.

By the Provo River

We went and played by the Provo river with the other Jackson cousin's and found railroad spikes and other things they used to dig out the Duchesne tunnel.

Shea and Joey

Another stunning view of what Utah offers.

This is the size of hole they dug to put dynomite in to blast through the granite mountain.  There were a ton of rusted drill bits laying around so you could imagine how they did it. 

Jeromy found this shovel they used to use and Cade found a pick ax with some of the handle still in it. 

When the Jackson cousin's get together... well... you can imagine.

This is a 45 foot tall pile of road base.

What do you think is going to happen?

Going, Going....

Gone!

Oh, and Koda fell down that 45 foot tall mountain of road base and came out with only scrapes and scratches to his thigh and leg.  It was pretty scarey for us all.  Need less to say we had a fun time there as well besides the little fall Koda took.